Drug trafficking is constantly evolving. Now it uses the advances of technology to bring the drug to international markets discreetly without putting at risk a crew if the Ilithic business route is by the sea. This follows from the seizure for the first time in Colombia of a drugmarine without a pilot that worked with a Starlink antenna, a company by the magnate Elon Musk.
According to the Colombian Navy, Narcosubmarino had the capacity to transport 1.5 tons of cocaine and belonged to the criminal organization Gulf clanthe most powerful in the country.
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At the time of its seizure in the city of Santa Marta he Narcosubmarino I was without load. The authorities consider that it was being subjected to testing before being used.
The Colombian Navy confirmed to the AFP agency that in the bow of the Narcosubmarino Gray was a supplier antenna Starlinkwhich allowed him to communicate through Satellite Internet. So, The boat could be supervised and controlled in real time.
The narcosubmarino without a seized pilot belonged to the Gulf clan. (Colombia Navy).
Meanwhile, the Spanish newspaper El País said the Narcosubmarino He had two surveillance cameras, one on the outside that allowed to have a real time vision of his trajectory and possible obstacles, and another internal to monitor the engine status and transmission.
The finding “reflects migration to more sophisticated systems”, that they use for “hinder your radar tracking and even operate with partial autonomy by criminal networks”Admiral Juan Ricardo Rozo, commander of the Colombian NavyAFP reported.
Juana Cabezas, a researcher at the Institute for Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz), told the AFP that, at least since 2017, the Mexican drug cartels operated in Colombia began to hire engineers and technology experts to develop unmanned submarines.
“The idea was that they could go through the Pacific and automatically download the drugs, so that people pick them up and put them in other unmanned submarines,” said.
According to Colombian authorities, The Gulf Clan does business with the Mexican Cartel of Sinaloa and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
The use of semi -submersible by cartels to transport drugs to the United States and Europe is a common practice in Colombiathe largest cocaine producer in the world.
According to Insight Crime, in 2024 25 semi -submersible was intercepted. Most were captured on Pacific routes between South America and Central America. That year was also found for the first time a boat of this type that was heading to Australia.
Interdiction rates at sea reach just 5% of semi -submersibleaccording to United States security authorities.
Existing types of narcosubmarine
A narcosubmarino that was seized in Spain with three tons of cocaine. (AFP / Lalo R. Villar).
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Insight Crime said recent data suggests that Narcosubmarine are increasing in number, scope and sophisticationand described what are the characteristics of those discovered so far.
He explained that Most intercepted narcosubmarine are not real submarines And they cannot immerse themselves completely. They navigate very close to the surface of the water, with only a small visible part, which makes detection difficult. Authorities usually refer to these ships as Low profile ships (LPVfor its acronym in English).
An average LPV measures about 15 meters longhas an elongated and thin shape, and works with diesel or gasoline engine. It can transport between 2 to 6 tons of cocaine.
A seized homemade narcosubmarine is in the sea port of the Colombian Coast Guard in Tumaco, Colombia, on February 19, 2020. (Luis Robayo / AFP photo).
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It is mainly built with wood and fiberglass, difficult materials to detect with radar. The cabin and the exhaust pipes remain on the water, while the rest of the ship remains submerged, detailed the Insight Crime report.
But the narcos adapt to the actions carried out by the authorities to find the LPV. Insight Crime said that when it began to be used Thermal cameras To detect them, some traffickers incorporated devices such as lead shields and heat exchangers to neutralize their finding.
They are also camouflaged with paint that fits the sea color and the climatic conditions planned for the trip. Thus, boats that cross shallowwater in the Pacific Ocean are usually bluish green, while those that cross the Atlantic are painted with dark or gray blue.
On the cost of building an LPV, the International Center for Research and Analysis against Maritime Drug Trafficking (CIMCON) of the Colombian Navy estimated in just $ 150,000. But Insight Crime remarked that most estimates place the cost between 1 and 2 million dollars.
LPV are for three or four crew.
An seized drug detention that is towed by a Colombian Navy ship in Buenaventura, department of Valle del Cauca, on March 21, 2021. (Luis Robayo / AFP photo).
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One step above the LPVs are the calls “narco torpedos”, Which are Troubled underwater capsules Designed to transport up to 5 tons of drugs, said Insight Crime.
The “narco torpedos“They connect to ships by steel cables of about 200 meters and can be towed at depths of up to 30 meters. The first torpedo associated with drug trafficking was found in 1988 by surfers in mouth mouth, Florida.
While the Fully submersible ships (FSV for its acronym in English) are among the most advanced narcosubmarine. They are able to completely immerse up to about 10 meters under the surface, transport up to 10 tons of cocaine, are invisible to the radar and have sophisticated GPS and navigation systems.
Insight Crime remarked that building a FSV It implies a huge effort, because it requires advanced engineering knowledge and investments ranging from 2 to 4 million dollars.
FSV narcosubmarine have never been detected at sea, They have only been found on land, suggesting that once in the ocean they are practically undetectable.
The only intercepted FSV while transporting drugs was seized in Venezuela in 2022, when he was sailing on the Arauca River, said Insight Crime.
Of the 240 seizures of narcosubmarine analyzed by Insight Crime, between 1988 and 2024, more than half were built in artisanal shipyards along the Pacific coast of Colombia.
